PROTECTORS

Quote for Today - November 4, 2013

"Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of good will: Let us be 'protectors' of creation, protectors of God's plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world."

Pope Francis. I found this quote on page 112 in Forbes Magazine, dated, April 15, 2013

Picture on top - taken from on line for the Christian Science Monitor.

Video - seen my millions - on YouTube

AMAZEMENT AT

THE ALL IN THE SMALL

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Amazement At The All In The Small.”

It’s a thought that hit me from the opening sentence of today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom. Here it is again: 
            “Before the Lord 
              the whole universe 
              is as a grain from a balance 
              [or a scale in the marketplace] 
              or a drop of morning dew 
              come down upon the earth.”

That’s an intriguing - as well as an amazing - comment. I think of it when I see that morning water glaze on the front windshield of my car. I think of it when I see one of those tiny little hour glasses - better minute glasses - you see in kitchens for timing eggs - or those little plastic ones that tell us how much time one has in a board game.

Sand and dew …. being compared to our universe.  

I’m sure you heard the comment by the scientist, Carl Sagan, who said, “If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe?” I was always amazed at that comment - when I see apples or an apple pie - as well as why Carl Sagan didn’t believe in God as I believe.

We don’t know how far out the universe goes. This comment, this text from the Book of Wisdom, was written probably around 150 to 175 B.C. What was their sense of the size of the universe back then? What will telescopes 50,000 years from now - or space adventures - show us - how big this universe - or universes are?

We’ve all seen tiny grains of sand in our shoes or a single lady bug on a blouse or one of those tiny book bugs in an old book - just moving and moping along.

How does God see? What does God see? Does God see me - when there are around 7.2 billion people in the world - and billions have gone before us - and billions are to come?

Does God see me? Does God know me? Is God amazed at me?

The title of my homily is, “Amazement At The All In The Small.”

Does God know how many grains of sand there are at Rehoboth Beach, Maryland - or specks of dust there are in the Smithsonian in Washington or blades of  grass there are in Camden Yards?

I would hope my homily evokes amazement - at life - at God - at creation - and we praise God - give God the glory for life - for the all - the small as well as  the big all around us.

ANTHONY DRAGONETTI

I like to use the example of a short guy, a man I met,  named, Anthony Dragonetti, of Trenton, New Jersey. He’s now long dead.  I was in his house once after giving a Communion Breakfast Talk  in his parish - Saint Joachim’s in Trenton, New Jersey. We were sitting  in his living room. Off to the side was a cabinet of Boehm Birds. They were porcelain birds about 6 to 8 inches high on glass shelves.

I asked him what they were and he said he made them - at Boehm Birds near Trenton. He stood up, opened up the glass door of the cabinet that held about 15 Boehm birds. He took one out and handed it to me to check out. It was light, colorful, realistic. I asked him how much one of these cost. He said, “That particular one sells for about $1400.”

I nervously handed it back to him immediately.

I’m sure we’ve seen small bird figurines in homes worth that - or worth about $4 dollars.  Which one is more important: the 4 dollar one or the 1400 dollar one? Would it make a difference if we knew the back story on how each bird got there in the first place?

As I handed it back to him I thought of Jesus’ words, “You are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows.” I added in my brain: “You are worth more than a whole cabinet of Boehm Birds.”

A short time after that I was driving past a November corn field and a whole flock - a couple of hundred real life little birds - were making spins and turns - in an afternoon sky - turns more amazing than the Blue Angels over Annapolis.

Amazement…..

Sometimes I walk down a street and I see a dead bird - not that often - but a dead bird - and it amazes me. What happened? Do birds hide when they are to die of old age or what have you?

We are surrounded by amazing sights all around us.

Do we see how God sees? Do we see what God sees? Do I see what’s all around me?

BABIES  - YOUNG AND OLD

Aren’t we amazed at babies’ fingers and toes?  Aren’t we amazed at 75 year old marathon runners?  Aren’t we amazed at painters and violinists and music makers?

Yesterday afternoon I noticed the tears in a bridegroom’s eyes at his wedding when an aunt read out the name of his father who had died 4 or 5 years ago of cancer - and his dad wasn’t bodily present at his son’s wedding today. 

Yesterday morning I noticed the tears in a widow’s eyes  - during the funeral of her husband - who just died of cancer.

Do we see another’s tears? When was the last time I shed a tear? What happened? What was it about? Did anyone notice it? Did I talk to anyone about what was happening?

Tears - drops of dew - a grain of sand - a babies pinky or little toes - the wrinkles in a great grandmother’s smile as we celebrate her 95^th birthday …. Do I have a sense of amazement at the all in the small?

DANNY DEVITO - A LITTLE GUY

I always loved the scene in the Danny DeVito - Billy Crystal movie, “Throw Momma From the Train” when Owen, Danny DeVito - asks Billy Crystal if he wants to see his coin collection. Surprise he opens up a floor board and takes out a box of regular coins - nickels and quarters and a penny. He tells Billy Crystal where he got each coin - change from a day with his dad when they got a hot dog - change from a moment with his dad took him to see Peter, Paul and Mary - or Martin and Lewis and his dad gave him the change. 

It gives a completely different take on life and coin collections - and the small things we have and have saved.

What mementos do I have around my house that remind me of my dad and mom, brother or sister or who have you?

Next time we’re visiting someone in a nursing home or regular home - ask them about their little stuff - and see their sense of amazement - and catch your amazement at the stuff people save and collect.

ZACCHAEUS - THE LITTLE GUY IN THE TREE

If we hear the gospels carefully - we’ll notice that Jesus noticed the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Jesus noticed that someone  touched the hem of his garment to be healed. He noticed merchants in the market place - who were generous and who were not.

In today’s gospel he spots a little guy in a tree and Jesus invites himself into that little guys house for dinner. Amazement.

And then there are those who see the small - but miss the big picture - because they are picky-picky-picky about things like that - and they blast Jesus for eating with sinners. Horrible.

A message that could be - without my parents - obviously - but also without God - this me would not be me.

A message could be - that Jesus wants to sit down and eat with little old me.

A message could be - to be amazed that Jesus knows me - little old me - and he doesn’t mind my sins or shortcomings - just my willingness to be generous and to grow - and help the poor - and can I say that I can express amazement tog God as I say to Him, “Do you mean to say, ‘You know I exist?’” and hear his loud, “Yes,” his loud, Amen.”

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Amazement At The All In The Small.”

Mass is a good time - to see the round - thin - small piece of bread - held up for all to see and to see Jesus  the giver of all  good things - the Lord of Universe and kingdom to come - in it - and in me when I am in communion with him. The small can be all.

To requote and reframe an earlier quote from this homily: “If you want to make bread, have Eucharist, from scratch, you must first have God the Creator of the Universe.”

Mass is a good time to express amazement - and gratitude - and a sense of giving God the glory for it all - in the small and the tall, in the   big and in the little - amazed that God is aware of it all - no matter how small we can be. Amen.

NATURE IS NEVER 

A STALE DONUT 

WITH A HOLE IN IT

Quote for Today - November 3, 2013

"What nature delivers to us is never stale. Because what nature creates has eternity in it."

Isaac Bashevis Singer, in an article by Richard Burgh, New York Times Magazine, November 26, 1978

DEATH

Quote for Today - November 2, 2013 - All Souls Day

"I've always been worried about my damn soul - maybe I worry too much.  But you carry in one hand a bundle of darkness that accumulates each day. And when death finally comes, you say, right away, 'Hey buddy, glad to see ya!'"

Charles Bukowski, Los Angeles Times, November 3, 1987

PATRON SAINTS 

OF SECRET SAINTS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of All Saints is, “Patron Saints of Secret Saints.”

The message of my homily is the call to all of us to be holy - to be saints - but not the type of saint - everyone knows - the canonized ones - but the ones God only knows - the secret saints.[1]

The message of my homily is the call to be a secret saint - to be a patron saint of secret saints - which is a paradox and a contradiction. It’s sort of  like wanting to be buried as the “unknown soldier”.

A QUOTE

Let me begin with a quote by John C. Cort, from his book, The Grail, August 1957. Never heard of him. The quote:  “Only God knows how many married saints there have been. Perhaps when and if we get to heaven we may find that some of the brightest jewels in His crown are obscure husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, that nobody paid any attention to here on earth.”

DID WE SHOOT OURSELVES IN THE FOOT?

Did we shoot ourselves in the foot - us Catholics - with our stress on the Saints - Saints with the capital letter “S”?

Did we make a mistake when we put saints on pedestals?

Did we make a mistake when we came up with the canonization process?

Did that sort of stress the impossible in Saints - and we the ordinary Joe or Mary in the benches and trenches - could not possibly be or become a Saint?

In the Early Church holy people were simply proclaimed “Holy” by the crowd. Time told us who some of the holy people were - but what about all the others - those people who were with us - those people as my quote put it - who were, “obscure husband and wives, fathers and mothers, that nobody paid any attention to here on earth.”

I would add that some of those moms and dads, husbands and wives, were known to be wonderful people by their other half as well as their family. We have our family favorites - those who gave us love and understanding, help and hope - because we met them in real life.

I like the canonization process that takes place at the funeral parlor - not in the obituary or the eulogy - but in the funeral parlor - not even on the comments of people - but sometimes yes - but in the minds of those who knew the person who died.

How many people have we heard described as, “another mother teresa in small letters” - because they were always doing for others - or  “Jolly Saint Nick” - a someone who brought us Christmas feelings in July and February - or another “Saint Christopher” - someone who picked the kids up after school and soccer practice - 1,500 times” - and on and on and on.

I think that is somewhat the gist of a song by Danielle Rose called, "The Saint That Is Just Me".

SUFI  SECRET

Or does it really matter?

I remember reading somewhere that it’s a practice amongst Sufi’s - sometimes described as the spirituality side of Islam - that the secret of life is to be a secret saint - someone who is in God and nobody but God knows - and perhaps at times - the saint.

Jesus certainly was off on that practice - way before Islam. He told us to pray in our inner room - where nobody sees us. Last Sunday he told us about the mind set of two different people who went up to the temple to pray - and how God honored the person in the back - in the corner - not the show off - up front - the Pharisee.

Tassels, bells, whistles, public posturing - are not something Jesus stressed - but he did stress union with his Father in secret - acts of charity - in which our right hand doesn’t know what our left hand is doing - so the secret in being a saint - is what Jesus stressed.

I like to picture my dad in the basement - alone - cellar door closed  - and I slip down there silently - down the cellar stairs - and I see him sitting there smoking his pipe and saying his rosary - in the evening after work.

I like to picture my mom in the living room - alone - quietly - going through her prayer book - fat with death cards - remembering her connections and her memories.

I like to picture all the meals - all the giving - all the sacrifices - they made for me.

I like to think of all the nuns’ retreats I gave - many of which were at Motherhouse convents - which always had a big grave yard - with all the same stones - and I would walk through those cemeteries - standing on holy ground - nuns who gave their lives - many for children - without children of their own - whom I believe are with God - and their lives was an act of faith in the reality of the resurrection of the dead - in Christ - much more powerful than any creed that states, “And I believe in the resurrection…..”

CONCLUSION

So on All Saints Day - we celebrate all the Saints - all the Holy People who have gone before us - whom we believe will be waiting for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

NOTES:

[1] Cf. Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Chapter 5; Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution on the Church the Modern Word, # 1, Opening of Preface and the rest of the document.

SAINTS  LOVE  SINNERS

Quote for Today - All Saints Day - November 1st, 2013

"A minor saint is capable of loving minor sinners. A great saint loves great sinners."

Rabbi Israel Baal Shem-Tov [1700-1760], Judaism

Questions:

Does that mean all those complainers about all us sinners are clueless - or  maybe just minor leaguers?

Does that mean: UNDERSTANDING IS THE #1 TRAIT OF A SAINT?

Is that what Jesus is getting at in so many Gospel comments?  For example:

"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." [Luke 15:3]

"If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." [John 8:7b]

"Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice." [Matthew 9:13]

THE FOUR HUNGERS

Quote for Today - October 31, 2013

"Every human being has four hungers; the hunger of the loins, the hunger of the belly, the hunger of the mind, the hunger of the soul.  You can get by a long time on the loins and the belly, but there is a good deal of evidence that even the meanest of men eventually crave something for the mind and the soul."

James Webb, in Arthur Goodfriend, What Is American? [1954]

Comment:

It seems that Pope Francis it trying to once again open up the doors of the Catholic Church to all human beings who have all these human hungers. So let's drop the rocks. Let's get back to business - that of Jesus' vision of bringing about the Kingdom - on earth as it is in heaven. Let's get back to love not law. Let's stop slamming the doors of our churches and our minds and hearts in the face of so many hungry people. Let's be honest: there have been too many unwelcoming gestures and speeches and comments - that have kept people down the other end of the street.

Picture on top: This is a picture I took on August 31, 2009 - a rainy day - in The Vigellandsparken Sculpture Park in Oslo, Norway. Check it out on Google. You'll see many of the sculptures of Gustave Vigeland [1869-1943] - which depict human beings with their hungers and their thirsts in the cycle of life.